Jeena Jimenez
Meet Jeena Jimenez, is a lifestyle and travel blogger based in San Antonio, Texas. She’s always loved exploring her hometown of San Antonio and sharing what she’s found while traveling which is what sparked the idea to create her blog, Vida Bella.
Augusts’s Theme:
This Is My New Normal
To me, being beyond the stage is being in a place to stand up and use your voice. This is your platform to use for the better and to claim as yours. I grew up being an extreme introvert which never made me want to raise my hand in class or even speak up so it held me back quite a bit but as I got older I found my voice and I was ready to use it. I knew that by allowing myself to stay quiet I was only letting myself get so far because I was holding myself back. Blogging through my twenties has allowed me to see how I want to use my platform and my voice in the story I want to tell. It’s allowed me to write and pour my heart into the words I’m typing. It has truly helped lead me to a path of understanding who I am and what I’m passionate about. That’s why beyond the stage is important to the youth in our community. It’s about finding your safe space to claim your voice and what you stand for.
Currently my new normal consists of waking up fifteen minutes before I have to clock in for work, which is honestly something I would ever be doing. There’s no getting ready for me or picking out an outfit for the next day which has actually been really nice. My morning routine now consists of brushing my teeth, making my coffee and clocking in to get the day started. I still go into the office once a week as my coworkers and I trade off days of who will go in on what day to keep social distancing in place but four out of five days I’m working from home. It was tough back in March when the pandemic really started to spread. Working from home was nice but not being able to “live my life” was the hard part to grasp. My boyfriend and I don’t live together and he’s a pharmacist which puts him in a high risk setting each day he goes into work so we decided to stay apart from one another for a while which was tough. Many people were experiencing this so I at least knew I wasn’t alone. When we finally felt okay with it we decided it was okay to cautiously and safely move forward with seeing one another again. I decided I needed to keep myself busy at home with new hobbies. I started up painting again but really got into making polymer clay earrings. It was something I always wanted to do so I opted for curbside pickup at the craft store and went all in. My daily life now consists of working on my Instagram and blog website, working my full time job from 8-5, fitting in a workout to keep myself active and making time for clay earrings. I still plan my free time around taking photos for the blog like I normally would but even more so I’ve been trying to support and share small businesses on my platform, it’s something I’ve always loved to do but now more than ever our community needs the support.
At this point in time I’ve grasped onto our current reality and I’m giving myself the opportunity to make the best of it and just enjoy working from home while I can because in my job that hasn’t ever been an option. I will most likely be going back into the office full time in the coming weeks but I just have to prepare myself and take the proper precautions to stay safe. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade.
Beyond The Stage is important to the youth in San Antonio, to empower and inspire us to become the best versions of ourselves. This will effectively change society’s view of immature youth. It provides a platform for us to explore our leadership potentials and exercise our voices in the community. It also provides access for high students like myself who don’t have driver licenses but want to participate in TEDx events.